


Counting Days

by babyhuangrj (sehunyeolsoo)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Eventual Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious, Pining, boom era, implied nohyuck, kind of renjun’s pov but not because I used third person, renjun centric, renmin fight?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 17:03:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21019214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sehunyeolsoo/pseuds/babyhuangrj
Summary: Boom era has a lot in store for Renjun. He just can’t stop counting the days that are important for him. Until one day, he decided to stop counting.





	Counting Days

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my first ever fic.. I wrote this during my 3 hour car ride to uni. Please bear with me. I hope you enjoy this less than 4k read!
> 
> Also, I don’t do summaries well I’m sorry.

It’s been 13 days.. 13 days since they last talked properly. 13 days since they last ate and went out alone together. 13 days since he witnessed him order his god awful coffee and his iced lemon peppermint tea. He missed it. Their late night talks, impulsive shopping of matching things, and unplanned hangouts. It’s been 13 days.. He missed everything they did but most importantly, he missed him. It was also the same day they talked about what it’s like to be with someone.

  
  
  


It’s been 20 days since a new era started. Their comeback with Boom has been nothing but successful. With 2 music show wins, countless previous records beaten, variety guestings, and a month long promotion. He was ecstatic. Not to mention his newest radio stint. Needless to say, NCT Dream was on a roll without a hint of stopping soon. He should be glad.. he was, he truly was. But he can’t seem to shake the thought that there’s something missing.

12:37am. He walked ever so slowly, eyes quivering, pulse racing, while entering their dorm unit. He went inside, his anxiety bubbling up bigger each step he made. He passed by a room and realized that no one is there. He’s washed with a temporary feel of relief that got cut right away. He continued walking until he stops in front of their shared bathroom. He held his breath for what felt like an eternity. He exhales, breath still erratic.. then knocks..

_ “Happy birthday, Jaemin-ah _ .”

Then he runs. 

  
  
  


There’s loud music blasting beside his right.. EXO’s Damage was playing on his phone until he realized that it was his alarm. He gets his phone and looks at it with one eye open.. 5:30am.. August 19, 2019.. 27 days passed since Boom was released. Still in bed, staring at the ceiling above him. He thinks about Jaemin for a while. He can’t seem to remember the last time they talked without cameras on or without the members with them. Has it been 35 days? Or 38? He wondered. Then he shakes off his thoughts and suddenly gets puzzled as to why he thinks about him first thing in the morning. He groans and gets up to get ready for their schedule for the day.

They were invited to join ISAC 2019 for e-sports. Sadly, Jeno and Hyuck weren’t with them today. He was quite nervous.. as much as he plays games in the dorms, he isn’t as good as the other guys are at PUBG. Jisung sat beside him on the way to the venue. Jisung nudges him.

_ “Hyung. I’ve called you thrice already, hyung. Are you okay?”  _ Renjun hears as he snaps out of his unnoticed trance.

Renjun gets shocked knowing he wasn’t paying attention to their youngest. 

_ “I’m sorry, Jisungie. Hyung’s just a bit nervous, I guess.”  _ He says apologetically.

Jisung shuffles Renjun’s hair a bit. Renjun always found it amusing how Jisung acts older than him sometimes. Jisung snickers.

_ “Hyung, we know you suck. Jaemin hyung, Lele and I will carry you for sure. Don’t worry.”  _ To which he pinches the younger’s cheeks lightly.

He didn’t catch Jaemin’s amused stare on him.

They won. Of course they did. They have Chenle. It was funny because Renjun did the least but he can’t help the swell of pride creeping up on him. It felt as if it was the first time he felt this happy in a while.. it was cut short though when the interviewer asked Jaemin what their team roles were.

_ “Renjun was the least helpful.”  _ Jaemin said jokingly.

Renjun forced himself to laugh. He didn’t understand why that hurt way more than it should. He knows it’s a joke but he can’t seem to shake that off feeling. 

After the event, they immediately went to their assigned waiting room to pack up. Walking behind Jaemin, he suddenly had the weird urge to say something to him. He reaches out to him and pokes him. Jaemin looks back.

_ “Hey, Jaemin.. You did great. Congratulations!”  _ He says shyly.

Jaemin nods. Giving Renjun a half smile. “ _ You did well too, Renjun.”  _ Then continued walking.

He looks down then smiles. He doesn’t know why but that just made his day feel better. 

  
  
  


32 days since Boom era started.. 1,095 days since they debuted. NCT Dream is on their 3rd anniversary. Renjun woke up giddy and in high spirits. He sprints to the kitchen to whip something up for the kids. He got there only to find Jaemin cooking.  _ Oh how many days has it been since they hung out alone?  _ He thinks. He stares at him from the counter. Jaemin has always been pretty for him but there’s something differently beautiful with seeing Jaemin with his unkempt hair, in the early hours of the day, while cooking. He realizes he’s been holding his breath for a while. He exhales loudly that it startles Jaemin. Jaemin composes himself and quickly gave him a weak smile. He couldn’t explain the awkwardness that surrounds them. Gladly, Jaemin was the one who broke the silence.

_ “Do you want to help, Injunnie?”  _ Jaemin said while proceeding to whisk the ingredients for what seemed like pancakes.

That nickname. It’s back. He didn’t realize how much he missed it. He noticed that Jaemin probably didn’t realize he called him that.

_ “I actually wanted to cook for you all myself. But seeing you’ve already started.. umm.. is there anything you need help with?”  _ He asked while walking beside him.

_ “I mean, four hands are better than two right?”  _ Jaemin says with a smirk.

He glances at Jaemin from time to time. And for once, in a long time, he feels settled.

They just finished one of their music show stages and have just arrived at the venue of their anniversary fanmeet.. or as how Renjun would like to put it.. “We Boom album selling part two.” Renjun felt kind of put off when he learned that their venue only has a capacity of 600 people. The two part fan meet made up for it though, to some extent. He hosted the first part. It was fun as he was able to show off his hosting skills since he has a radio gig now. They capped off their anniversary by doing a vlive for the fans who were unable to go. Him and the dreamies were in their usual antics but much more amplified because of the anniversary hype.

_ “The fans want us all to do aegyo.”  _ Hyuck says while reading the comments. 

Renjun and the dreamies kept on complaining. All of a sudden, Renjun catches Jaemin’s eyes and both were thinking the same thing. He slightly feels a blush creeping up on his face. Renjun suddenly chickens out and avoids his eyes for some reason.  _ “Let’s all do Jaemin and I’s aegyo instead.”  _ He suggested. He feels Jaemin staring at him weirdly as if he’s boring a hole into his head.

_ “Kyuuuuu~” _

The dreamies finally did their aegyo. He can still feel Jaemin’s intense stare even after. 

  
  
  


It’s been 38 days since he saw his mullet in the mv. It’s also been more than a week since they wrapped up promotions for Boom. He finally got a haircut. Not that he didn’t like the mullet, he actually did. It actually grew on him (pun intended). However, fans were 50/50 about it. He hasn’t gone black in a while. To say that his sudden style change gained so much attention is an understatement. 

He walks inside the dorm shoulders hunched from tiredness. He just came from his radio schedule and all he thinks of is going inside his room to sleep. He has to go to China in a few hours because he and Chenle were chosen as ambassadors for a new hot spring waterpark. He quietly walks through the living room and suddenly notices Jaemin sleeping on the couch with the television on. He goes to his room, gets a pillow and a blanket and returns to the living room. He gets on his knees to level himself with Jaemin’s sleeping form. He can’t help but admire his long lashes.

_ “Jaemin-ah, wake up for a while.” _

Jaemin squirms a bit. Renjun tugs him gently as Jaemin speaks with a hint of grogginess in his voice, eyes still closed.

_ “Injun-ah”  _ It’s that damn nickname again, he thinks.  _ “I waited for you.”  _ As he immediately gets back to sleep. Renjun feels his heart fasten its pace. His heart is beating so fast and yet, he feels as if his fatigue was gone. He snaps out of it and lifts Jaemin’s head to put the pillow under and proceeded to put the blanket on him.

_ “Thank you for waiting for me, Jaemin.”  _ He kisses the younger’s cheek before he retreats to his bedroom. He didn’t hear Jaemin mutter “always” under his breath.

He was already at the airport for China when he received a text from Jaemin. 

_ “Was it you who put the pillow and blanket on me?” _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “Thank you, Renjun.”  _ He smiles at the thought of Jaemin waiting for him last night.

_ “I saw online that you got a haircut and I wasn’t able to see it yesterday.” _

_ “Oh that. It was nothing. It’s just for this thing in China.” _ He replies.

_ “Renjun, you look beautiful.”  _ He reads the text as he boards the plane.

Chenle takes a peek at his phone and side eyes him. 

_ “Renjun-ge, I was wondering what you were smiling about. Now I know why.”  _ Chenle gives him a toothy grin.

_ “What do you mean by that, Chenle?” _

Chenle smirks while looking outside the window.  _ “Nothing, Renjun.” _

  
  
  


It’s been 6 days since Renjun had a different hairstyle. 5 days since Jaemin called him beautiful. It’s their first out of the country show after their Boom promotions. They’re in Indonesia today. He decided to hang out with Jeno after their performance. He sees the ramen cup in front of him and realizes how hungry he actually is. 

He was eating silently when Jeno asked him.  _ “Hey you’ve been out of it quite lately?”  _ Renjun was a bit confused with what Jeno meant. 

_ “What do you mean?” _

_ “You’ve been having this weird push and pull with yourself. It’s.. I don’t know you just seem a bit distracted? Or unsettled?” _

_ “Really? There’s nothing different about me lately though.” Except the awkwardness between him and Jaemin,  _ he thinks. 

_ “Junnie, I’m your bestfriend. You do realize that I know whenever you’re lying, or when you pretend that you’re okay?”  _ Jeno pushes him a bit.

He stays silent for a while, thinking whether or not he should tell Jeno even though he’s also unsure of himself. He decides to come clean.

_ “Umm.. It’s just.. been weird between Jaemin and I since.. I don’t know? July? I don’t even know if I did something but I felt like he kind of avoided me for a while.”  _ He rants.  _ “And recently he’s been.. doing these things that I don’t understand. I mean he’s typically sweet but lately he’s just different with me. Kind of sweet, but reserved. He stopped teasing me too. I.. I just.. I don’t know I feel confused? Like I just don’t understand what’s happening. Last week he just—“  _ He looks at Jeno and he sees that he’s staring at him.  _ “Oh. I’m rambling too much am I? See. I shouldn’t have tol-“ _

_ “You like Jaemin.”  _ Jeno cuts him off.

Renjun stops. He becomes silent for seconds.  _ “Excuse me. What?” _

_ “You. Like. Jaemin. You idiot.”  _ Jeno snickers then leaves Renjun alone on their table.

_ I.. what? _ Renjun thinks. Blinking several times as he lets the realization sink in.

_ “I like Jaemin.”  _ He whispers to himself. Not knowing what to do with this information.

His eyes light up.

_ “I like Na Jaemin.”  _ He says a bit louder, and with more conviction and with so much resolve. He smiles.

Renjun doesn’t know where his newfound confidence came from but he decides to sit beside Jaemin on the bed during their vlive. He’s weirdly giddy in a good way (It’s not because of the boy beside him. Definitely not. Or is it?) He can’t help but notice that Jaemin’s more comfortable with him again. He is hyper aware whenever Jaemin lingers his hands on his. He feels as if his heartbeat can be heard by his members because of how loud it is whenever Jaemin pays attention to him.

It’s already 10pm and the babies, Chenle and Jisung, had to leave the live already. He then decided to get in between Hyuck and Jaemin. It’s their first 00line live in a while and as expected, it’s chaotic. Jeno and Hyuck almost kissed, Renjun and Hyuck being chaotic besties as always, Jaemin keeping up with his friends’ antics. He couldn’t ignore how Jaemin looked so sleepy though. He couldn’t ignore how Jaemin kept resting his head on Renjun’s shoulder the way he used to before. Time passes and they pack up the live and said their goodbyes and goodnights.

Hyuck catches up to him as he goes to his and Chenle’s room.  _ “A little birdie told me you like someone from our team. I’m not gonna say who the little birdie is though.”  _ Hyuck teases.

Renjun can imagine how red he looks right now.  _ “Shut up, Haechan-ah. It’s not like you and the little birdie almost kissed during the live earlier.”  _ He retaliates.

_ “Okay fine you win.”  _ Hyuck says. Both of them sporting matching red faces.

They look at each other and laugh like there’s no tomorrow. He realizes how much he misses Hyuck and his antics that only he can match whenever he’s not around.  _ “Ohhh fanfic writers are gonna have a field day with that almost kiss, Hyuckie.”  _ He jokes.

  
  
  


It’s been 6 days since he realized that he likes Jaemin. It’s also the day that he’s coming back to Korea after a short break in Jilin for chuseok. Funny how his first thought when he landed was text Jaemin that he’s back.

  
  
  


It’s been 4 days since he got back from China. It’s the day it was announced that he would no longer be a special dj, and would be a regular dj instead. When he got home, the dreamies gave him a mini surprise party. They approached him with a cake in hand and simultaneously congratulated him.  _ “Hyung, I’m hurt you never told us beforehand.”  _ Jisung pretended to be hurt. He still entertained his antics though.  _ “I was told not to tell, Jisung-ah. I didn’t want to be fired before I even start the job.”  _

It amazes him how they even got him a cake and then left him alone to clean up. He’s washing the dishes thoroughly when Jaemin stands next to him. He pats Renjun’s head  _ “Congratulations, Renjun-ah.”  _ He says with a smile. Renjun’s quite convinced Jaemin could see him blushing so he proceeds to wash the dishes quietly. Jaemin helps him. He misses the proud glint in Jaemin’s eyes.

  
  
  


He has liked Jaemin for 16 days now. It’s also been 10 days since he got back from China, and 6 days since being a permanent dj. They have a big day today. Renjun feels quite more nervous than he normally is. They’re performing at The 20th World Knowledge Forum. This isn’t a show where fans are gonna watch them. It’s an event where they’re basically representing kpop. Even though he is excited, he feels the weight of the event. Jaemin seems to notice him fidgeting his hands a lot because Jaemin suddenly slaps both his hands in his, which oddly comforts him.

_ “You’ve been awfully fidgety the whole day, Renjunnie. It’s gonna be fine. We’re gonna be great. You’re gonna be amazing, the way you always are.”  _ He’s surprised at how much his words affected him. 

_ “Thank you, Jaemin-ah.” _

They did a great job. He did a great job. He mentally credits Jaemin for it.

  
  
  


It’s been 14 days since he got back from China, 10 days since he was announced as TBS eFM’s newest regular dj. He has a special hosting event today for the radio. He gets to meet his fans without the dreamies. It feels so surreal. 

The event was successful to say the least. Except for the fact that he was mobbed right after.

It’s also been 10 days since Jaemin has started waiting for him every night at the dorms, after his radio gig. Things were starting to return to the way they were between them, but at the same time, it’s different. He was about to put in the code to unlock their dorm when suddenly the door opened and a lowkey furious and concerned looking Jaemin bolted out of the door to hug him. Renjun’s eyes widened at the sudden action.  _ “I saw you were mobbed, Injunnie. Are you okay? What was SM thinking?”  _ He relaxed at this and couldn’t help but coo at the younger, the use of the nickname again never goes unnoticed.  _ “I’m okay, Jaemin. Don’t worry.”  _ He was kind of disappointed when Jaemin released him.  _ “Are you sure? You’re not hurt or anything right? Damn those people. Damn SM.”  _ Renjun could see how genuinely concerned Jaemin was so he put his hand on Jaemin’s cheek and it instantly calms Jaemin down.  _ “I’m really fine, Jaem. Let’s get inside.”  _ As he impulsively held Jaemin’s hands to drag him inside.

  
  
  


It’s been only 1 day since his special dj event. It’s also the 1st of October, and he’s finally permanently employed. He’s been so hard on himself since Boom era started that he didn’t realize how he was already slowly reaping what he sowed. He woke up feeling very refreshed and he says out loud, in the safe confinement of his room,  _ “I’m proud of myself.”  _ He may have shed a tear or two when it hit him that he’s going to be a radio dj for a long long long time. 

After his radio, he saw that there was a text from Jaemin. 

_ “The kids and I went out to eat hotpot. I bought some home for you so you can just heat it when you get back from radio. I’m a bit tired so I wouldn’t be able to wait for you tonight.” _

He got home and ate the food Jaemin bought him. He takes a mental note to thank Jaemin in the morning.

  
  
  


He still doesn’t know what to do with his feelings for Jaemin. He doesn’t even know if Jaemin feels the same way. It’s been 25 days since he was confronted with the fact that he does indeed like Jaemin. 

It scares him. How he feels like he’s falling hard and fast not knowing whether or not someone’s there to catch him. It doesn’t help that he constantly notices stuff about Jaemin that he didn’t think much of before. He loves the way his laugh sounds a mellowed down Chenle laugh when he’s genuinely happy, how he can pick up his emotions just by hearing the tone of his voice, how he constantly dotes on both Jisung and Chenle but still treats them both differently.. he’s already in too deep. Not to mention how he lowkey takes care of him. How he waits for him almost every single night despite him being tired. He feels like he’s gonna burst anytime soon and he realized that the only thing to do is to confess.

Today is rest day, he just cooped himself up in his room the whole day. 

  
  
  


It’s been exactly a week since he decided that he would confess. He avoided Jaemin like the plague. Jaemin questioned him at first but he knew that Renjun would avoid him more if he pushed further so after a few days, he just let him be. 

Their schedule for the day is the Gumi Love Festival. As per usual, they performed Go, We Go Up, Boom, and Stronger. Everything was normal for them.. except it wasn’t for Renjun. He was getting anxious just thinking about how he was going to confess or talk to Jaemin at least. The event was finished and some of the dreamies were wondering why he was still a bit fidgety. He was in the waiting room when Jaemin approached him.

_ “Hey, Renjun. Let’s get ice cream later? I already asked manager hyung if it’s okay and he already said yes so… do you want to come?”  _ Jaemin asked cautiously.

He agreed right away. 

They went home and changed clothes. Renjun got to finish changing into comfortable clothes first so he waited for Jaemin outside the dorms. They both snickered when they realized their clothes were matching.

Their manager accompanied them to the nearby convenience store to buy snacks and ice cream. They went home right after.

Renjun asked Jaemin if he wanted to go to the roof and eat their snacks there, in which Jaemin enthusiastically said yes. They brought a mat and a blanket, laid down, ate snacks, and talked about a lot of things. Just like how they used to before. When all of a sudden.. Renjun propped himself up using his elbow then faced Jaemin.

_ “Jaemin, would you like to go out with me?” _

_ “We always go out, silly.” _

_ “No, Jaemin. I mean, would you like to go out with me? Like out on a date with me?” _

_ “I don’t understand.”  _ Renjun was feeling kind of anxious and frustrated at this point. 

Collecting his remaining confidence. He finally confesses.  _ “Nana. I like you. I think I have for a long time now. I just realized it just recently. I want to take you out on a real date.”  _ He called him Nana for the first time.

Jaemin just stared at him in shock. Renjun dreaded the seconds Jaemin didn’t speak but he didn’t want to force him to talk. He finally sees Jaemin settling. He watches him as Jaemin takes a deep breath.

_ “Injunnie.. I’ve liked you ever since I met you. Remember that one day last July? When you asked me what it feels like to be with someone?”  _ Renjun feels dizzy with the sudden confession. Jaemin takes his hand into his own.  _ “I said that, it feels as if you’re looking at your whole world, like you have this person you just want to constantly be with no matter how annoying they can be. It feels as if you just want to be better in general. Like there’s nothing you can’t do when your with this person.. when I said that, I meant you. I avoided you because I assumed you didn’t and would never like me back. It basically was my confession back then and I thought you turned me down but I guess we’re both stupid and you just didn’t catch on.”  _ To say that Renjun was overwhelmed was an understatement, but Renjun was expecting something else from Jaemin..

Renjun clears his throat..

_ “So is that a yes or???” _

_ “Of course it’s a yes, dummy.”  _ Jaemin pulls Renjun’s hoodie as their lips crash for the first time. 

  
  
  


It’s been exactly a day since Renjun and Jaemin both confessed to each other. It’s been a day since they officially started dating. It’s been a day since their first kiss. And now, Renjun finally decided to stop counting the days. 

He counted this one for good measure though.

  
  


** _Huang Renjun and Na Jaemin - Day 1, October 13, 2019_ **

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I hope you enjoyed them! I have a hard time with depicting scenarios but I hope you got an idea of the pictures I wanted you all to see. Please leave kudos, comments, and suggestions. Don’t be too harsh though.
> 
> I run @renjunquotes on twitter please follow me!
> 
> Just to explain some things.. the first paragraph implies that their last talk was a week or two before Boom Era started but other than that, the days are mostly based on when Boom mv was released. They were basically awkward because Jaemin almost confessed but RJ was oblivious so Jaemin thought he was rejected
> 
> Also at the end, it just simply means that Renjun is willing to just live and enjoy the present instead of constantly connecting important days towards each other. 
> 
> Also if you didn’t understand the “he slapped his hand in his” it’s what Soma did to Megumi when she was getting too anxious.


End file.
